By Robert Preidt

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Low folate levels during pregnancy are associated with higher odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspringaged 7 to 9, new research has found.

The findings seem to support the long-held belief that folate (folic acid) levels in expectant mothers influence their children's nervous system development.

The researchers also found that children of mothers with low folate levels had notably smaller head circumference at birth, which may indicate a slower rate of prenatal brain growth.

The study was released online Oct. 28 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

"Our findings further support the hypothesis that maternal nutrition contributes to an individual's development, with potential consequences for their behavior later in life," study author Wolff Schlotz said in a news release from the journal's publisher.

The results are special cause for concern in relation to low-income families, where a mother's nutritional health receives a low priority, and women are less likely to take folic acid supplements prior to becoming pregnant.

SOURCE: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, news release, Oct. 28, 2009

History..................how long do we have to wait to learn!?

As I am getting older, sometimes I start wondering if some facts I learned -as far as I remember- during my medical education are not my own fantasies and may be I heard them later.................!?
Therefore I was happy to see-while going through some old journals- that I did not fantasy  when I wrote in the past that I already was taught [ by the late prof.Plate in Holland-at that time the obstetrician of the Dutch Royal family] that folic acid was very important -to be given early in/before pregnancy- to possibly prevent serious problems of pregnancy  and the newborn.

Hibbard [journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published in 1964 !! [yes,not at he end of the last century!] examined between 1961 and 1963 more then 800 women after birth and found  a clear relation between folic acid and miscarriages, abruptio placentae as well as foetal malformations.
The rest is history.................it was not until the end of the20th century that most official  organizations [including in Israel] began advising about folic acid supplements for pregnancy .
One can imagine how many "open backs"[spina bifida] and other suffering could have been prevented if............
Vitamin D will hopefully have  a better "press", but as it seems this in still not the case with vitamin B12.
Time allowing I hope to summarize once all the neglected aspects of vitamin B12, even if I sent you already tens of articles in the last few years.